Amber Navarro and Tama Meskwaki Celebration Assembly of God Co-Pastor Kenny Mervin place food items on tables in the church parking lot on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 23, in what is now a seven-day-a-week free food distribution in cooperation with Dollar Fresh in Toledo where Navarro serves as an assistant manager. News-Herald/John Speer

“Such a blessing, if anybody goes hungry in this town they didn’t learn about (this),” Pastor Kenny Mervin

said Saturday, Nov. 23, just days

before Thanksgiving.

Amber Navarro, an assistant HyVee Dollar Fresh Store manager, and Pastor Mervin had just brought another LARGE ASSORTMENT of “short-dated” food contributed by the new Toledo store to the Tama Meskwaki Celebration Assembly of God Church, 900 East 5th St.

Navarro is credited with setting up the arrangement.

The new food offering is available daily, seven days a week, to everyone. There’s fresh produce, baked goods, ready-to-eat meals, meat, dairy products, damaged package products and more.

It now supplements the regular church food bank which is available on Mondays and Thursday at the church as well.

Tables are set up in the church parking lot for display of the food items. When the winter weather sets in the food will be available in the church hallway, Pastor Mervin said. Again everyone is invited to select whatever they can use.

Iowa Premium also made over 30 turkeys available for Thanksgiving distribution this year Pastor Mervin said.

The church is open Monday-Friday during daytime hours on Saturday from 9 a.m.- noon and all day Sunday.

The hours for the daily distribution vary based upon when the food supplies become ready for transfer. The regular Monday and Thursday distribution times are in the mornings. The source for distribution on these days is the Northeast Iowa Food Bank and is now supplemented by the local supply.

Pastor Mervin of the Meskwaki Celebration Assembly of God Church says, “We are not in competition with the South Tama County Food Bank. We work with them and give them products we can’t handle like some perishable and other items.”